Breads

Likely a post that would have been more suitable to have been posted a month ago, but oh well. You get it now.

On the bright side though, I managed to check another item of my 25 while I’m 25 list! Woo hoo! And you get fresh baked bread in under an hour.

This was a huge success for me, not only because I got to knock an item that has been on my To-Do list for a looong time, but because I was able to share and teach my sister how to make it before sharing it here.

Now this may not seem like a huge accomplishment, but anyone who knows me, or at the very least, anyone who has ever tried to cook with me, knows that I do not share the kitchen well. I don’t share counter space and tend to get snippy when people get in my way. Even so, I managed to drag my non-baking sister into the kitchen and successfully taught her how to make her very first loaf of home made bread. This is also an amazing feat. I am really not a good teacher

While my Mom does have pictures of us, seemingly co-operating in the kitchen, historically this is not the case. I can think of more than one occasion where me trying to teach her how to bake ended up in a screaming match. Hahaha

Thankfully, this time it resulted in some warm crusty bread, perfect for dunking into soup or stew. Or even just slathered with butter and honey. A much better result if you ask me.

Some notes on the recipe:

I’ve listed both volume and weight measurements, but I got a better result using weight measurements for the flour.

I have adjusted the recipe to make a small loaf that comfortably serves four. It tends to dry out quickly, so I didn’t want a whole lot of leftovers kicking around and going to waste.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a round 8 in casserole or cake pan.

Sift the flour in to a large bowl, then whisk in the baking soda, brown sugar and salt. Make a large well in the centre of the dry ingredients.

Pour the buttermilk into the well and gradually stir in the flour, until it is all combined and you have a slightly sticky dough. If your dough is really sticky, then add a bit more flour, a couple tablespoons at a time.

Knead the dough lightly, about once or twice, so that you don’t squish out all of the gases, then form the dough into a ball. Place in the greased casserole. Dust the top of the dough with some flour, then with a sharp knife make a couple of slashes in the top o the bread.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until you have a deep golden crust, and the bottom sounds hollow when you give it a tap.

Let it cool on a wire rack, then cut into wedges ( while still warm) to serve.

After participating a few times now, what I am finding the most challenging is working with ingredients that I really don`t like. Raisin`s were a big challenge for me, and this month`s banana and nutmeg posed an interesting challenge. Neither Mr. Ginge or I are big fan of bananas. I can`t really get over their mushy texture.

While I will almost always choose a chocolate chip muffin first, banana muffins are also a favourite. C, who I used to worked with in the clothing store, would periodically make banana muffins and bring them in to share. I think that she was the one who got me hooked on banana muffins.

I switched these up a bit by swapping to whole wheat flour and stirring in some tart pomegranate arils, and the end result is a delicious way to start the morning.

Whole Wheat Banana-Pomegranate Muffins

makes 10 muffins

3/4 cups mashed, ripe bananas

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup canola oil ( or melted butter)

1/4 cup milk

1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup pomegranate arils, plus some for topping if desired.

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line your muffin pan with 10 liners.

In a bowl, mix together the banana, brown sugar, egg, oil, and milk. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and nutmeg. Slowly add it to the banana mixture, stirring just until combined ( it’s ok if it’s a bit lumpy). Gently fold in the pomegranate arils.

Scoop the batter into the prepared pans so that each cup is about 3/4 of the way full. Sprinkle a few arils on the top of the batter if desired. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then either or enjoy warm, or transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Don’t forget to click the link to check out more great Banana and Nutmeg recipes!

While I will not deny there has been some amazing moments in the past year ( especially when it comes to my blog. I have seen some amazing growth in the past year and for that I am eternally grateful!), and I am more than grateful for the life that I do lead, 2012 has had some hardships that have been tough to overcome. The year started with the loss of a job I loved and facing the difficulties of unemployment for the first time, the loss of my grandmother and the utter devastation it caused my dad, the frustration of not being able to find a job, the bittersweet loss of a good friend who moved out of province, struggled with certain aspects of my health, and dealt with what seems like an ongoing war with some people in my life.

I’ve never been an overly open person, and this little corner of the web has always been my happy place, however there have been points throughout the year where I have struggled to maintain an interest or a happy demeanour, and have even gone months without baking, something that has always helped me relax and unwind. Fortunately, I am surrounded by amazing people who love and support me, and give me ambition and inspiration when I have none.

These are my last parting words to 2012:I am glad we are through.

So, here’s to the new year, and an end to the depressing stuff. To new beginnings and a year focused on making it the most I can. A year I can enjoy the company of those who mean the most to me and who have always supported me ( and my blog :) ) through thick and thin. A year where I can focus on my health and happiness. A year of continued growth and learning and of moving forward. And, most importantly, a year full of cookies and cupcakes (my favourites!).

And to bring in the new year, I give you pancakes!

Well, Mr Ginge brings you pancakes, since this was the result of a craving for pancakes and him searching through the odds and ends in the refrigerator. Pair them up with some bacon and a tall lass of OJ and you are good to go.

Caramel Apple Pancakes

serves 4, adapted from allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup caramel sauce ( we used what we had in the fridge, but you could always use homemade)

3 tsbp melted butter

1 apple, cored and thinly sliced

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Make a large well in the centre and set aside.

In a measuring cup or bowl, combine together the milk, egg, caramel sauce, and butter. Pour into the well and mix until smooth. Let the batter stand about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat up your pan with a bit of butter over medium-high heat. Pour about a 1/4 cup of batter into the pan for each pancake. Top the pancake with a few slices of apple. Revel in the heavenly smell that is wafting from your kitchen.

When the edges have bubble and are lightly brown around the edges give them a flip and then continue to cook on the other side.

Flip them onto a plate and serve with maple syrup, additional caramel sauce, or a bit of icing sugar.

She makes amazing and approachable recipes all on a students budget. I am in awe of her ambition to be able to be pursusing her Ph.D and also be able to manage her blog and cook up delicious meals. I’m pretty sure I lived on instant ramen noodles and waffle fries while I was in college!

Hello! I’m Amber from The Cook’s Sister and I’m very excited to be guest blogging today! The Cook’s Sister is a food blog centered around cooking on a student’s modest food budget. Most of my recipes are day-to-day things that one can cook in a hurry. However, I also, on occasion, feature recipes for special occasions. Each recipe on my blog comes with an estimated cost break-down by ingredient and the total expected affordability of the dish.

Recently, I had the pleasure of having Mel guest post on my blog, where she shared her delicious Chocolate Drizzled Mocha Cookies (Bryan has been asking me to make these cookies ever since)! I’m very excited that Mel invited me to post on her blog as well! I’m always amazed by Mel’s gorgeous creations! I’m amazed by the things she can bake and her ability to make it beautiful.

While I enjoy baked goods as much as anyone else, it’s generally not my strong point. Yet, to go along with Mel’s blog theme and my own, I wanted to share with you a tasty baked treat that is also affordable. So, I set out to make banana bread.

My first attempt at this banana bread didn’t work out so well. It might have had something to do with the fact that my baking powder was three years old (I bought it when I moved to my current apartment). Or maybe I didn’t bake it long enough. Or maybe I overworked the batter. Whatever it was, the bread was terrible on first try. So, I replaced my baking supplies and tried again. Today, I’m sharing my banana bread recipe (take two)!

I remember when we were younger, Mom would send us with the little red boxes of raisins in our lunches. Occasionally, we would eat them, but most often they would end up hidden in the bottom of our backpacks. At any given time, there might be four or five uneaten boxes of raisins.

Because we never actually told her that we didn’t like them, she just kept buying them. That is until one day, she needed to check out school bags (probably for report cards or something) and discovered the hidden stash of raisins. Needless to say we rarely saw raisins in our lunch bags again.

So when the ingredients for this month’s Improv Challenge hosted by Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker were Oatmeal and Raisins, I seriously considered not participating. I could not for the life of me think of something to make that I would actually enjoy and want to share. Until I thought of raisin bread.

Warm, toasty, and slathered in melted butter, it was always a breakfast treat that I looked forward to.

The oats in the bread add wonderful texture and the raisins add just the right amount of sweetness. Liberally laced with cinnamon, this will make you house smell amazing while it’s baking.

Oatmeal Raisin Bread

makes one loaf

1 cup rolled oats ( not instant)

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 tbsp dry active yeast

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 egg, beaten

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup raisins

2-3 cups flour

In a large bowl, pour boiling water over the oats. Add the maple syrup and stir. Let cool to lukewarm ( about 110° F) Add yeast, and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Add the oil, eggs, salt, cinnamon and raisins. Stirring with a wooden spoon, gradually add the flour until you get a soft and elastic dough. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl,and set in a draft free place. Let rise until doubled in size, about and hour.

Punch down the dough, and turn onto a floured board or counter. Knead in the remaining flour, until you get a smooth dough Shape into a loaf and set into a loaf pan. Let rise for about half an hour, or until it has doubled in size again.

Bake in an oven preheated to 350°F for 35-45 minutes ( the bottom should be golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped)

Or, more importantly, what goes with pasta. Like bread. Garlic bread to be specific. With lots of cheese. Spaghetti dinner is not the same without it.

Seriously, in my family, it think the pasta plays second fiddle to the garlic bread. My “I’m-not-that-hungry” sister will take a teeny tiny portion of pasta, then fill up on six slices of garlic bread. No joke. I can hear her denials already. :)

I was feeling like making bread the other day, and well bubble bread popped ( haha) in to my head. I mean seriously, I know you already eat garlic bread with your hands, but it’s way more fun to rip it from the loaf at the table.

If you aren’t feeling up to making bread, then you could always use store bought dough, just mix the Italian seasoning in with the garlic and melted butter before you dip. Make sure to snag an edge piece. Sooooo good.

Dissolve the yeast and the sugar into the warm water and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour, salt and Italian seasoning. Make a well in the middle of the bowl, then pour in the yeast and stir together with a wooden spoon. If the dough is still a bit sticky slowly add in more of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until you get a soft dough.

Turn the dough out onto a flour surface and knead it, slowly working in the remaining flour until you get a smooth and elastic dough.

Lightly grease a large bowl then set the dough in the bowl to rise, until it doubles in size ( about an hour).

Meanwhile, brush the bottom and the sides of the two pans generously with some of the melted butter. Combine the remaining butter and garlic.

Punch down the dough, then cut the dough into 1 in pieces, which ends up being about 30 – 40 pieces. Dip each of the pieces into the garlic butter mixture, making sure to get some of the garlic on the dough, then nestle them into the prepared pans. You may have to squish them together a little to fit the last few pieces in the pan.

Allow the dough to rise a second time, this time for about half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

When the dough has risen, pop the pans in for about 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes, sprinkles the tops with the cheese, then bake for another 15 minutes.

Let the bread cool for a couple minutes, then slide out of the pan and enjoy warm.

If you are only going to eat one of the loaves, then tightly wrap it in some plastic wrap. To reheat, just stick in the oven for about 5 minutes or so or until warm.

What I didn’t realize, though, was that it was not in my cards to make banana bread.

It was Murphy’s law of quick bread. Every thing that could have gone wrong, did.

First, as I was pulling out the ingredients and lining them up, I noticed that we had run out of milk. When I came back with a new carton, Mr Ginge informed me that we did in fact have milk. After I had opened the carton.

Next, as I measured out the now un-needed milk, I accidentally measured out 1 3/4 cups, instead of the needed 3/4 cups. After I dumped it into the bowl. which contained the dry ingredients.

I managed to make it though most of the recipe, then pour it into the prepared pans. When I moved the pans to pop them in the oven, I discovered the two eggs that was supposed to make it into the batter. Ugh.

See the thing is, I’ve made banana bread before. Lots of times. Using the same recipe. And a super simple one at that. (Like no-mixer-required simple)

Fortunately, it still turned out. I might have cried if it didn’t.

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

makes 1 9×3 loaf

2 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1 cup mashed ripe bananas ( about 2 medium)

3/4 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9×3 loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for the chocolate chips and mix with a wooden spoon. Just mix until combined, you will still end up with a slightly lumpy batter, but you don’t want to over mix. Don’t forget the egg.

Fold in the chocolate chips, then pour into the prepared pans.

Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan 10 minutes, then remove and let cool completely on a wire rack.

adapted from Betty Crocker 1976

It’s really good warm, slathered in butter.

– Mel

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I linked this recipe up to The Weekend Potluck! Click the link to check out some more great recipes!

But here’s the thing. He didn’t just buy me shoes. He outdid me at buying shoes. How does that even happen?

Here I am, minding my own business, contemplating a pair of pink ruffly pumps, when he ever so casually brings me over another box.

How bout these he says, and hands me over a pair of pink satin peep-toes, with the cutest little bows at the heel. In my size. My exact favorite colour of pink. And dammit if they didn’t look better on.

How. Does. This. Even. Happen.

I mean, he is not a man afraid to shop, and I am the first to admit that he can outshop me when it comes to may things, but SHOES???????

This is a crime against humanity.

Pink shoes. PINK shoes. PINK HIGH HEELED SHOES!!!!!

Oh well.

I did beat him shooting once.

Anyways, muffins. Mini ones to be exact. The chocolate kind, studded with chocolate chips and strawberries. Perfect for making for your Valentine. Or if you are sans-Valentine, for yourself. Plus they are the perfect size so you can eat 6 guilt free!!!

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Mini Muffins

makes 48 mini muffins, or 12 regular muffins

2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tbsp baking powder

pinch of salt

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs beaten

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen and thawed, finely chopped.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease (2) mini muffin pans, and line them if desired.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar.

In another bowl, whisk together the milk, oil and eggs. Make a well in the dry ingredient, add the wet, the mix together until just combined. The batter should still be lumpy. Stir in the chips and the berries.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, about 2/3 full, and bake for 10 minutes ( 20 if you are making regular muffins), or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

This was a week of discovery for me. Allow me to share my new found knowledge.

1. Wearing high heeled boots to work after a particularly heavy spell of freezing rain is maybe not a smart idea. Particularly when the driveway/skating rink is sloped. Particularly since everybody and their brother told me it was icy. Particularly since this is not my first experience with freezing rain. I’ve lived in this climate my whole life. Mel=Genius.

2. Alone time with scissors and an idle brain = reappearance of bangs. Bangs that I have tried to grow out at least 6 times. Fail.

3. Books are far too consumable. Especially when you are reading one novel a day. Needless to say, I’m taking a Dark-Hunter break. It’s amazing how much I can get done in a day.

4. Apparently escape-ee border collies are foxes. Who knew?

5. Toasted blueberry bread makes for an excellent breakfast. :)

This recipe came from C, who I used to work with. Every year when the strawberries came in season, she would make loaf after loaf of this bread, dotted with the sweet berries. It was a treat everyone looked forward to. I was fortunate enough to snag the recipe and tweaked it a bit to suit my taste. The beauty of it is that it’s good with really any berry. Or even a mix of berries.

C’s Berry Bread

makes 1 loaf

1/2 c butter, softened.

3/4 c sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp lemon extract ( or the zest of 1 lemon. I just didn’t have any in the house)

2 c flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c sour cream

1 1/2 c chopped berries ( I used blueberries this time around)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 5×9 loaf pan.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and the sugar, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add the lemon extract (or zest)

In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry mix to the butter mixture, alternating with the sour cream, mixing just until combined.

Stir in the berries, then carefully pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for about and hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. ( Or you know just until you can handle it, the hack of a big slice, slather it in butter and eat it warm. You know)

And for the last week I have been lost in a book-coma, hardly coming up for air. I have devoured page after page, and left book after book in my path. I have drained my e-reader ( which, consequently, has lost my spot in my book…. ugh) on more than one occasion, and have stayed awake late into the night, every night, reading just one more chapter. A not so brilliant trend when both Mr. Ginge and I have to get up early in the morning for work.

While allowing myself to be absorbed into a book is not an uncommon occurrence, these full on book-comas mean only one thing.

I’ve stumbled across a series I am enamored with. And this time I’m in deep.

Normally, series are three or four books, something that can easily be recovered from over a weekend. Sometimes its five or six books, like when I got lost in the Percy Jackson books. But this time, I’m caught up in the Dark-Hunter series. There’s like 16 books in this series! I’m totally down for the count!

Although really, I shouldn’t really be surprised. You mix Greek Mythology and vampires, and that just spells crack-in-book form for Melli. I mean, really, it’s almost as bad as vampires and pirates…. geesh. Someone save me now!!! (granted, I should whip through my #50bookchallenge no problem now!)

And now that you are all acquainted with my excellent taste in literature, let’s get to the scones.

These are based on some mini-scones Mr. Ginge and I would sometimes get at the grocery store, the promptly gobble up as soon as we got them home.

Iced Toffee Scones

makes 12 Scones or 24 mini scones

1 c flour

1/4 c sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup cold butter, cubed

1/2 c cream or milk

1/2 c toffee bits

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 375º F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (Trust me on this one)

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Cut in the butter, with a pastry cutter, until coarse crumbs form.

Mix in the toffee bits, then add the cream, mixing until the dough comes together.

Turn out the dough and form into a long rectangles. With a knife, cut into 6 rectangles, then cut each of those rectangles diagonally across, so that you end up with 12 pieces. If you want to do mini scones, cut 12 squares from the rectangles, then cut each of those diagonally across.

Pop them on your prepared sheet, and bake for 12-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in another bowl mix up your glaze by combining the sugar, and vanilla, slowly adding the milk until you get a thick, but still pourable consistency.

While still hot, ice each scone, so that the icing soaks in a bit. Let cool, then enjoy!